A product of his environment, TERROR GREEN is the epitome of NY hip-hop. Raised on Herkimer St. in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn by his West Indian and southern grandparents he was exposed to a rich culture infused with music. His uncle Chilly D was a DJ at the infamous Billie Holiday Theater at Restoration Plaza and also an accomplished bass guitarist, his grandmother was a jazz and blues singer and his grandfather was a reggae purist that exposed him to a mix of sounds from an early age. But in 1984 he got his official first taste of Hip-Hop with U.T.F.O.'s "Roxanne, Roxanne", and there was no looking back. Every Friday he along with everyone else in NY was ready to record DJ Red Alert's Master Mix or Mr. Magic's Rap Attack. If you ask TG who were the most influential artists in his life then it would have to be BDP and Rakim. Soon he was Beat Boxing in school, wearing two-tone Vasco's, Gazelle's, BVD t-shirts, Furry Kangol hats and Bally suede shoes.
Fast forward to 1989 when tragedy first fell upon him, it was the loss of his grandfather. He held his grandfather in his arms as he passed which affected him traumatically. He was forced to become the man of the house and grow up quicker in what was already one of the toughest neighborhoods in America. It is believed that this is when "TERROR" was born. He began hanging out in the streets and unavoidably flunking out of Summit J.H.S., the talented and gifted school he attended with fellow student and rapper Talib Kweli. It wasn't long before he was arrested in his new school Satellite East J.H.S. and ended up in the infamous Spofford Correctional Facility in the Bronx where he started a long and unfortunate stint in the NY D.F.Y. (Division for Youth) system. In fact, from the young age of 12 he never lived at home again. During his stays in facilities like Brooklyn’s Ella McQueen Correctional, The Bronx’s Pyramid House, Albany’s Camp Cass, Group Homes and Foster care, he began to vividly elaborate on his frustrations not only physically but poetically.
The majority of his music is based on fact. In fact they are first person accounts rather than hypothetical stories. It was around 1994 while awaiting trial in NY's Rikers Island for a gun charge that his friends from E.N.Y. were forming the rap group The Darkside, which was being produced by Georges Sulmers of Rawshack Productions, known for working with Public Enemy and breaking the underground artist J-Live. As soon as he was released he was welcomed home to a spot being held for him in the group. After a few collaborations and features with other artists and groups like Bed-Stuy's Sauce Money and his hometown crew The Mod-Squad it was determined that he should pursue a solo career with the blessings of his boys.
It was then that TG was introduced to DJ Nastee and Elektra A&R Rick Posada who took over the position after the departure of the well known Dante Ross. He began working closely with these two while still maintaining a great working relationship with Mr. Sulmers. But there was a certain magic between Nastee and TG. For example the track titled 45 STITCHES is a step by step account of one of his many brushes with death while living in his second stomping grounds the world renowned killing fields of Brooklyn's East New York. This is undoubtedly the most acclaimed creation, but by far not the only brew that was cooked up by these chefs. Other songs, such as "Check tha File", "Dub" and "Much Terra" were all classics of that era. It wasn't long before people began to notice the work they were putting in which inevitably became a mainstay on the world famous "Stretch and Bobbito Show” and the reason he received top billing at Bobbito's showcase, "Bobbito Speaks" in N.Y.C. In fact, the track 45 Stitches in Bobbito Garcia's own words became the most requested demo in WKCR's history! In the words of underground hip-hop legend Lord Sear, "WOW! That’s crazy!!" Yes, this is by no means a small feat, taking into account the level of music and the artists being played on the station at that time, e.g. Biggie Smalls, NAS, Wu-Tang Clan and more. This in turn developed into TG securing a Demo Deal with Elektra Records. Unfortunately, the label was going thru a shift in management and the development of acts like Busta Rhymes and Old Dirty Bastard, which left TG shelved and overlooked. But this did not deter TG; he continued to perfect his craft.
Shortly after the Elektra situation, DJ Nastee began working at the world class recording studio THE CUTTING ROOM, where he worked his way up thru the ranks and eventually became the head engineer acquiring a substantial portfolio of clients such as Mobb Deep, Peter Gunz and more. It was during this time the two began to ramp up their efforts with new material by utilizing the top notch facilities and the magic started again. According to TG it was during a late night mix session with DJ Nastee that Havoc of Mobb Deep walked in the studio and heard the track “Comin’ Thru” and said, “That’s you? Damn son, you ‘bout to BLOW!” By this time there were a few additions to the crew including a young intern at the studio named Justin Smith, more commonly known now as Just Blaze. One of their collaborations became Justin's 2nd record ever played on NY's HOT 97. This in combination with a Cutting Room production deal on the table and a signed retainer with hip-hop lawyer Paul Rosenberg of Shady Records made success a sure thing for TG, but as we all know, nothing in this world is a sure thing. Life had something else planned for the rapper. Starting a family and settling down is the path he ended up on.
According to the rapper, he has “NO REGRETS”, which coincidentally happens to be the title of his new soon to debut mixtape. There are no sure things in this world except for the fact that this dude still has it! And from what we've heard of the new material like a track named "In The House" produced by Canei Finch, you would think he just came out. It makes one wonder what would be of this Brooklyn native had he got on back in the days. Either way, TERROR GREEN has to be recognized as one of the nicest underground artists of the 90's and a force to be reckoned with now. Don't call it a comeback, and technically it's not a come-up but you can bet, one way or another he's coming!

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